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Ex Seton Hill professor sentenced

Editor-in-Chief, Olivia GoudyJanuary 27, 2013

A former Seton Hill University (SHU) professor has pleaded guilty to charges of possession of child pornography.

On January 23, U.S. District Judge David Cercone sentenced Balazs Tarnai, 36, of Unity to 15 years in prison and a lifetime of probation. Tarnai admitted to purchasing child pornography after being targeted by postal inspectors. He also had mounted hidden cameras in his residence to record young boys urinating.

Tarnai was indicted in late 2011 after federal investigators searched his residence and seized DVDs, CDs and his laptop. In an official statement from the university, “The employment of Balazs Tarnai, a former professor of special education, was terminated by Seton Hill University on November 28, 2011.”

Greensburg investigators found multiple videos, both purchased and homemade, as well as thousands of images on his computer, as stated by the Associated Press.

Tarnai’s attorney, Alexander Lindsay, said that the materials were used for research in his area of study—the socio-sexual development of children with severe learning disabilities.

Originally from Hungary, Tarnai came to the U.S. on a work visa. He began his work at SHU in 2008.